2 research outputs found
Gene-microbiota interactions contribute to the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is associated with risk variants in the human genome and dysbiosis of the gut microbiome, though unifying principles for these findings remain largely undescribed. The human commensal Bacteroides fragilis delivers immunomodulatory molecules to immune cells via secretion of outer membrane vesicles (OMVs). We reveal that OMVs require IBD-associated genes, ATG16L1 and NOD2, to activate a non-canonical autophagy pathway during protection from colitis. ATG16L1-deficient dendritic cells do not induce regulatory T cells (T_(reg)) to suppress mucosal inflammation. Immune cells from human subjects with a major risk variant in ATG16L1 are defective in T_(reg) responses to OMVs. We propose that polymorphisms in susceptibility genes promote disease through defects in ‘sensing’ protective signals from the microbiome, defining a potentially critical gene-environment etiology for IBD
Exobiology: The Survival Ability of Halophiles Under Martian Conditions
This report examines the ability of two halophiles isolated from San Francisco Bay to survive severe Martian conditions. The report introduces the extreme conditions on Mars and offers a brief survey of extremophiles. It then details the methods used, results obtained, a discussion, and a list of proposed future experiments. The report also features color photographs, diagrams, and charts related to the study